Wow...talk about a shock

This is a very emotional topic. And a very happy, yet difficult post. It may be rambly...so bear with me.

Background: My father.
My father is not healthy. Mentally, he is not healthy. He was orphaned when he was 15 and it really screwed him up. He and his brother (Danny) lived on the streets together. My father ended up going to school, getting multiple degrees and is now what most people would consider a huge success in life... with the multi-million dollar house at the beach and the vacation house. He has owned businesses and made millions. He is your American dream come true. Except he is messed up. He can't keep relationships going. He left my step-mother and I for his current wife a week before my 18th birthday. In the middle of the night. He didn't tell me (his only child) that he was leaving and I did not see or hear from him for many years following that. I learned from a friend that he had re-married and had a child, and I contacted him. We re-connected and had a tenuous relationship for several years. At my wedding he walked me down the aisle, all was right in the world. He told me he would see me at the reception and never showed up. I never heard from him again. That was 5 years ago. The irony? He's a clinical psychologist.

Danny:
Danny is my father's brother. They were very close growing up. I had heard his name from my mother, but in keeping with my father's M.O. he had cut off contact with Danny before I was born. I don't know why, noone does really. He just refused to call or write him back and Danny eventually gave up I guess. That was 35 years ago. Last night I talked to Danny for the first time in my life. He has been looking for us for decades. He somehow got my step-mother's (dad's 3rd wife) phone number and called her looking for my dad. She didn't know how to reach him, but got his phone number and gave it to me. I called and for the first time in my life talked to a member of my father's family. It was overwhelming to say the least. We didn't say a lot other than "wow" turns out that after Danny talked to Kathy he found my father and knocked on his door. They met for a couple hours and that was good for Danny I think. He just wanted to know that his brother was ok. He has thought all this time that he had done something wrong, I told him that no, it wasn't him...it was my dad. He does this to everyone. He has no relationships with anyone that are older than 15 years. Not one single person. When he closes off a chapter in his life, for whatever reason he does that, he never looks back. Even when that chapter includes the people he "loves" (like me). Anyway, it was amazing to hear about this family I have that I have never known. Danny has been married for 35 years, he has 6 (SIX!) children and his oldest is 18 days younger than I am! He also has 6 grandchildren. We are going to try to meet when I am in California, he lives in Northern California. I also have an Aunt... that I never really knew about. She is two years younger than Danny and her name is Ona. From what I gather, she was sent to live with another family when my grandmother died. She lives in the midwest and is a teacher. Danny was going to give her my phone number so we can talk as well.

Obviously this is all overwhelming... it brings up a lot of pain because of the connection with my father. But it is also happy because I actually have a family... strange as that sounds. At this point my family literally consists of my grandmother and grandfather, that's it. I have no Aunts, no Uncles, no cousins.... until now. Well, I have my step-mother's family, which I love and am grateful for, don't get me wrong. But no family that I am really related to, that look like me, and share the same DNA if that makes sense.

So, that's the scoop. I am sure I will be talking about this more in the upcoming days and weeks. It is sure to be a rollercoaster!